AOL co-founder Case to talk shop at the Sheraton

Tech industry entrepreneur Steve Case is returning to his Hawaii roots to discuss his entrepreneurial and venture capital investing experience at an event to be staged by the Hawaii Strategic Development Corp. and Startup Hawaii.

The state has just provided $2 million to fund startup accelerators in Hawaii, which "are a critical tool in the startup ecosystem, and none exist in Hawaii today," said Karl Fooks, HSDC president.

Case is a co-founder of AOL, is CEO of Revolution LLC and is the chairman of Startup America Partnership, a growing movement of funders, experts and other resources providing start-up businesses access to the corporations, investors and services that will help them grow.

The two-day event featuring Case and other business experts is called "Accelerating Hawaii's Startup Innovation" and will take place at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. A pass for the full conference is $60, while prices differ for first-day and second-day passes as the second day includes workshops. A student rate also is available.